COUNCIL MEETING-WORCESTER

Membership

The Hon. Secretary reported that since the last Annual General Meeting 40 applications had been received. The total membership now being 481.

Any other business

Mr. M. L. Cox (E.C.A.), Associate Member, felt that the Constitution should be amended to allow Associate Members voting powers. Mr. R. P. Holdaway supported. After considerable discussion it was decided to refer the matter to the Council for consideration, but it was pointed out that a Notice of Motion should be submitted before the next Annual General Meeting.

Mr. F. L. Barker, Esher U.D.C., referred to unattended self-service and the Chairman's report, emphasising that the Council ought to consider this subject with a view to producing a Code of Practice for a uniform system of administration, and that the Home Office should be approached for their decision on the issue of a Model Code for self-service installation, and to look at the Model Code for distributing depots. Mr. W. C. R. Dale duly seconded the proposition, which was carried.

The Chairman proposed a vote of thanks to the past Chairman, Mr. Beeby, the Council and officers for their work during the past year, and in particular to the Hon. Secretary/Treasurer and proposed that the Honorarium of £50 previously granted be continued. He also referred to the work of the Editor in preparing matter for The Bulletin and proposed an honorarium of £50 be granted to him. This was agreed unanimously.

He emphasised that upon the formation of new Branches the Council will give all the help possible, and upon request the Chairman or any other officer will be willing to visit the meeting at which a proposed Branch is to be formed.

Mr. H. Griffiths, Walsall, informed members that the final comments on multi-storey car parks having been received, the recommended code of practice would be ready in a short time.

The business then being concluded, the meeting adjourned for lunch.

The meeting re-assembled at 2.30 p.m. when th:e Chairman introduced Mr. J. H. B. Hornby, Deputy Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures for the City of Oxford, and invited him to give his account of the recent visit to North America and aspects of petroleum administration he encountered. (Mr. Hornby's paper is produced oh page 52).

Mr. W. C. R. Dale, G.L.C., proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Hornby which was endorsed by all present. Thanks to the Solihull Council, to the Civil Defence Officer and Messrs. Forman and Dean, in making arrangements for the meeting, was proposed by Mr. F. L. Barker, Esher U.D.C.

Council Meeting

Report of a Meeting of the Council of the Association held at Worcester on Thursday, 8th June, 1967

Present

C. R. Peskett, Esq. (Chairman); with Messrs. E. V. Beeby, J. Beer, J. Birks, R. L. Bloor, G. N. Dean, J. W. Frid, D. Hall, G. H. Harvey, J. Hewison, R. P. Holdaway, R. E. J. Roden, J. Short and the Hon. Secretary.

Apologies were received from Messrs. T. Kerr, C. T. Peacock and B. W. C. Thacker.

Welcome to New Members

The Chairman welcomed to the Council-Messrs. J. Birks, J. W. Frid and J. Short.

Standing Orders and the Minutes of Previous Meeting

These were duly confirmed.

Matters Arising

Investment-The Honorary Secretary reported that an investment of £500 for five years at 6i % had been made with the Dudley Corporation.

Correspondence

Certain proposed amendments to Branch Rules were submitted by the Secretary of the East Midlands Branch. Resolved: That the amendments be agreed.

Requests that the subject of Self-Service at attended and unattended sites be treated as a matter of urgency were referred to the Reference and Legal Committee.

The subject of votes for Associate Members was referred to the Constitution and Rules Committee.

Election of Committees (a) Finance and General-Chairman of the Standing Committees together with ex-officio members. (b) Reference and Legal-Messrs. Birks, Frid, Griffiths, Harvey, Kerr and Roden. (c) Education and Publication-Messrs. Bloor, Dean, Holdaway and Peacock. (d) Constitution and Rules-Messrs. Beer, Hall, Hewison, Short and Thacker.

In discussing proceedings in Council emphasis was laid on the necessity for Committees to deal with the detail of matters referred to them as quickly as possible and to bring forward proper Reports to the Council where they could be received and adopted with or without debate or amendment, thus allowing the Council to devote its time to those functions which it should properly carry out rather than long discussions on matters of detail.

70

Report of Hon. Treasurer

It was reported that there was a balance in the General Account of £721 and a balance of £834 in the School Account. The Council discussed the situation with regard to these balances and a motion to refer the matter to the Finance and General Purposes Committee. An amendment was then discussed proposing that a sum of £534 be transferred from the School Account to the General Fund. On being put to the vote this amendment was lost and the matter, therefore, stood referred to the Finance and General Purposes Committee.

Opinion was also expressed that the amount held in the Current Account was too large to meet day to day running expenses and an amount should be transferred to a Deposit Account. This matter was also referred to the Finance and General Purposes Committee.

The Council unanimously decided to allow travelling expenses to members attending meetings at First Class Rail Fare or Air Fare rate as from and including the present meeting.

The Treasurer reported on a list of members who were in arrears with their subscriptions and was asked to write to those members in arrears for 1966 and 1967 and ask for immediate payment with authority to strike off the members' list the names of those failing to pay.

Report of Hon. Secretary

The Secretary reported on new members and the current membership details, which were as follows: 8 Honorary and Retired Members 397 Local Authority Members 26 Officer Members 55 Associate Members 30 Bulletin Subscribers

516 Total

Report of Hon. Editor

The Editor reported on the progress of the Bulletin. He hoped it would be possible that two new speakers would be available for the 1968 Course so that their Papers could be included in the Bulletin.· Regarding copies of early issues of the Bulletin, the Editor was requested to refer the matter to the Education and Publications Committee.

Report of Finance and General Purposes Committee

The immediate past Chairman, Mr. Beeby, reported that no meetings of this Committee had been held.

Report of Reference and Legal Committee

The Chairman of this Committee, Mr. Roden, referred to two queries under consideration by his Committee, one of which was self-service (to be discussed later in this meeting) and the second referred to the use of flat ended tanks for underground petroleum storage. A considerable amount of work had been done on this particular question, which involved research into a number of British Standards and no decision had been reached by the Committee. The matter would be further investigated and a report brought to the next meeting of the Council.

Report of Education and Publications Committee

The Chairman, Mr. Bloor, reported a further successful School at Attingham in May of this year. Accommodation for 1968 had been booked for the 27th, 28th and 29th May; Local Authorities would be circulated with regard to vacancies.

Mr. Hewison asked about an Advanced Course but was told the difficulties regarding Lecturers, etc., operated against the holding of an advanced or second course.

Report of Constitution and Rules Committee

The Chairman, Mr. Hall, stated that the Committee had considered the question of electing a President, VicePresidents, Fellows and Overseas members, and the Council agreed that a class of Fellows could be created and that it was desirable and in fact would soon become necessary for the Association to elect a President and a number of Vice-Presidents. A number of overseas persons had been of service to the Association and these could become Honorary Members (Overseas). These matters would require an amendment to the Constitution and Mr. Hall agreed to take these matters back to his Committee and bring forward a report and recommendation in due course.

Car Parks Sub-Committee

Mr. Griffiths stated that a final draft of the Car Park Conditions had been sent to the Home Office but that no reply had, as yet, been received. The Secretary was asked to circulate copies of the final draft to members of the Council and if no reply had been received to the letter to the Home Office within one month, to send a reminder to them.

Branch Reports

Reports of Branch formation and activities were presented by Messrs. C. R. Peskett, J. Short, J. W. Frid and J. Birks.

Self-Service

Discussion on this item deferred from the morning session was preceded by the circulation of a Home Office letter setting out various matters for Local Authorities to take into account when considering self-service. On a request from Esher U.D.C. and a resolution of the Annual General Meeting the Council of the Association had been asked to draw up a Model Code of Self-Service Conditions for the guidance of Local Authorities. The matter was discussed at some length and was referred to the Reference and Legal Committee, whose next meeting was to be held on 27th June, 1967, at Birmingham, at 10.30 a.m., when an invitation would be sent to all members of the Council to attend to discuss this important item.

Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting

It was agreed that the next meeting should be held at Solihull on a day and time to be decided by the Chairman and Secretary, if possible during the first week in October.

71

Branch Meetings

South-East Midland Yorkshire

The Annual General Meeting of the Branch was held at the Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead, on Thursday, the 20th April, 1967.

Forty-five members were welcomed by the Mayor and Bailiff, Alderman B. T. Barrett, J.P., who expressed his thanks for the work done by petroleum officers in their efforts to ensure greater public safety. He then conducted a short tour of the Civic Suite, and members were shown a fine example of modern architectural design in public buildings.

Minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting held at Bishop's Stortford on the 13th October, 1966, were read and confirmed.

Election of Officers

The following were elected:

Chairman A. C. Horne, Herne! Hempstead

Secretary Treasurer Auditor Executive Council

M.B.C. R. E. Dust, City of Oxford J. W. Frid, City of Cambridge A. Wookey, Chesterton R.D.C.

Representative J. W. Frid, City of Cambridge

The Secretary reported that he had had discussions with the Executive Council on the question of the responsibility of petroleum officers for heating and electrical appliances on licensed premises, but situated at some distance from the licensed store. The meeting agreed with the views expressed by the Executive Council that petroleum officers were not responsible for such appliances and that, in giving consideration to the matter, a distance of 20 feet was a good figure to bear in mind. Members were urged to maintain a close liaison with their local Factory Inspector on this matter.

Af!e.r lunch, which was enjoyed under very pleasant cond1t10ns at the Civic Centre, the meeting adjourned to a local filling station where a demonstrstion of latched noz~les was kindly given by P. T. Lucas, Esq., of the Nat10nal Benzole Company Limited.

A visit was then paid to the British Standards Institution at Herne! Hempstead, where members were given demonstrations of the work done by the department. These included tests on oil heaters, safety belts, and crash helmets.

Mr. Goode, of Bishop's Stortford, expressed the thanks of all members to Mr. Horne of Herne! Hempstead for the arrangements made for the meeting.

The Annual General Meeting of the Branch was held at the City Hall, Sheffield, on Tuesday, 25th April, 1967. Present were the Chairman, Mr. R. M. Sample, and 17 members.

Apologies

Five apologies for absence were received.

Minutes

It was proposed that the Minutes of the Annual Meeting held at Scarborough on the 23rd May, 1966, which had been sent to each member before the meeting, be taken as read.

Matters Arising out of the Minutes

Mr. E. L. Darwin enquired as to the present position on plastic tanks. He was informed by the Hon. Secretary that no progress had been made.

Chairman's Report

In presenting his report, Mr. Sample referred briefly to the activities of the Branch over the past two years. A number of interesting and informative lectures and demonstrations on various aspects of petroleum storage and administration had been given and were greatly appreciated. Mr. Sample felt that meetings of this nature were of great value in getting together to discuss points and individual problems and paid tribute to the publication of The Bulletin which was a great benefit to all members.

Branch membership had risen from the initial seven at the inaugural meeting to the present total of 22 and Mr. Sample stated that although numerically this was rather disappointing for an area the size of Yorkshire, it must be remembered that many of the authorities are spread out over a large agricultural area, but nevertheless he stated "We must still endeavour to awaken interest in the Branch at every opportunity".

Finally he paid tribute to the service of Mr. C. T. Peacock, Secretary/Treasurer and Branch representative on the Council.

Hon. Secretary/Treasurer's Report

A copy of Mr. Peacock's report and the balance sheet was passed to each member and approved with thanks.

Branch Representative's Report

Mr. Peacock gave a brief summary of the work done by the Council of the Assoication, pointing out that reports of each Council meeting had been given good coverage in The Bulletin. The Branch representative's report was approved with thanks for his services.

72

Election of Officers and Committee

The following were elected:

Chairman S. Gascoigne, Sheffield

Vice-Chairman F. Gledhill, Leeds

Hon. Secretary/Treasurer C. T. Peacock, Hemsworth U.D.C. also appointed Branch representative Committee Members H. Hepworth, Wakefield C.B. E. L. Darwin, Huddersfield C.B. P. Murray,West Riding C.C.

Other business

Arising out of the Association's Annual General Meeting it was proposed by Mr. Murray and seconded by Mr. Hendry that, while this Branch had no serious objection to Associate Members having a vote it was essential that it be obvious to outside bodies that public interest, not commercial interests, motivated the policy of the Association. The motion was passed unanimously.

A resolution requesting the General Council to give guidance as soon as possible, either by a Model Code or otherwise on self-service stations by Mr. Darwin was seconded by Mr. Wood. This motion was also passed unanimously. Mr. J. H. Wood, Doncaster, with the permission of the Chairman, demonstrated a latched nozzle, after which the meeting adjourned for lunch.

After lunch, the Chairman, Mr. S. Gascoigne, presented his paper entitled "Single Tank Installations-150,000 to 1,000,000 gallons" (this paper is reproduced on page 62).

A lively discussion then followed and a resolution proposed by Mr. Murray and seconded by Mr. Kay that Certificates of Maintenance be required annually was carried by 7 votes to 4.

Mr. Murray then proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Gascoigne for his very excellent paper.

Scottish

The inaugural meeting of the Branch was at the Town Hall, Paisley, on Wednesday, 26th Apnl, 1967. Present were Mr. C. R. Peskett, Chairman of the Association, and 37 petroleum officers.

Mr. J. Short Paisley called the meeting to order and it was agreed Mr. Peskett should act as Chairman until a Branch Chairman was appointed.

Apologies

Ten apologies were received.

Chairman's Address

Mr. Peskett briefly outlined the aims and objects of the Association. He referred to various Codes of Practice had been published; Association policy on educat10n with special reference to the Residential School at Attingham Park· the classes of membership available and briefly the salient points in the Constitution. He indicated that six branches had already been formed and that the total membership of the Association was now approaching 500. The quarterly journal of the Association known as The Bulletin contained much useful information a_nd was sufficient return in itself for the annual subscript10n.

Branch Formation

After some discussion, Mr. A. B. A. Campbell, Ayr C.C. prop<;>sed, seconded by Mr. D. Reid, Fife C.C., that a Scottish Branch shall be formed. After Mr. E. T. Senior, Dumfries C.C., had been assured that members who did not have a mandate from their Authorities would not be held to be committing their Authorities if they supported Branch formation, the motion was agreed to unanimously.

Election of Officers and Committee

Chairman T. Cairns, Glasgow

Vice-Chairman I. G. Forbes, Clackmannan c.c.

Hon. Secretary/Treasurer J. Short, Paisley

Hon. Auditor R. McGill, Clydebank

A proposal by Mr. McGill, seconded by Mr. McLeod, that no Committee be formed was defeated by an Amendment moved Mr. Burrell and seconded by Mr. Donnelly, that a Committee of four be appointed.

The Committee elected was as follows: J. J. MacKellar, Perth G. A. Taylor, Perth and Kinross C.C. A. McK. Mitchell, Ayr R. F. Donnell, Kilmarnock

Mr. Short was appointed to representative the Branch on the Council of the Association.

Branch Constitution

The Secretary submitted Model Branch Constitution and Rules as approved by the Association, which were dealt with as follows:

Para. 1. It was agreed that the Branch be called the Scottish Branch. 4. Subscription. It was agreed that no Branch subscription be fixed meantime. 5. Meetings. It was noted that early April was favoured as the most suitable time for holding the Annual General Meeting. 6(c). It was agreed that four other members would be elected to form the Committee.

Mr. Reid proposed that the member(s) elected by the Branch to serve on the Council of the Association shall be a member(s) of the Committee and this was seconded by Mr. Brown. An amendment moved by Mr. Donnelly and seconded by Mr. MacKellar that all members of the Scottish Branch serving on the Council of the Association shall be members of the Committee was declared the finding of the meeting on a vote being taken.

The Constitution and Rules were otherwise approved.

Other business

The Secretary was instructed to circulate the Clerks of all Scottish Authorities who were not members of the Association and advise them of the formation of the Scottish Branch.

73

After lunch Mr. Peskett addressed the meeting on selfservice filling stations. During the discussion following Mr. Peskett's address he capably answered questions on various aspects of the subject which were put to him. The Secretary proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Peskett for his most interesting talk.

The meeting was concluded by the Chairman thanking Mr. Short and his Authority for the arrangements made for the meeting.

Hon. Secretary/Treasurer Auditor Branch Representative Mr. J. Birks, Chesterfield Mr. J. Bantoft, Derby Mr. J. Birks, Chesterfield

Committee: Mr. K. Coleman, Leicester City Fire Brigade Mr. W. H. Matthews, Derby Mr. G. Popplewell, East Kesteven R.D.C. Mr. J. Staddon, Esso Petroleum Co., Ltd.

Installation of Chairman

Mr. E. T. Crowe was installed as Chairman for the first full year of the Branch. He thanked members for placing their confidence in him and said that there was much work to be done in the interests of uniform administration of the Acts and Regulations and the various technical problems involved. Mr. Matthews reminded members of all the pioneer work Mr. Crowe had done for the Association and the Branch, and he was pleased that he had accepted the office of Chairman for another year.

Any other business

There was some discussion on latched nozzles and their safety. Several members expressed their concern as to the making safe of underground tanks which had been put out of use or taken out of the ground. The procedures adopted by various members were given. Mr. Skinner sought the views of members regarding the filling of two underground tanks from opposite sides of a road tanker at the same time. He had been approached by a petrol company to allow this filling operation. Mr. Kerr said that this problem was under consideration by the Council. Mr. Skinner suggested that such a filling operation might be allowed provided the attendant could observe the discharge points and the road tanker at the same time. Mr. Matthews said that although underground tanks were subjected to periodical tests the electrical circuits were not and he thought that the time was approaching when periodical electrical test certificates should be requested. Mr. Birks informed members that electrical certificates had been requested annually for some years in Chesterfield and no difficulties had been experienced in requesting such certificates.

East Midland

The Annual General Meeting of the Branch was held at the Council Chamber, Council House, Derby, on Tuesday, 2nd May, 1967.

Present were the Chairman, Mr. E. T. Crowe, and 16 members; 11 apologies were received.

The meeting was welcomed in the morning by Alderman C. F. Bowmer, J.P., Chairman of the Markets Committee, on behalf of the Mayor, who referred to the history of the the Association. He said it was important to have a national body and this could only function successfully with active branches. He welcomed the formation of the East Midland Branch and said that there was a great future in Petroleum Administration. Self-service stations had possibilities but he could also see the dangers from vandalism. He regretted that he had other business to do and hoped that the meeting was successful. The Chairman thanked Alderman Bowmer for his welcome, who then left the meeting.

It was then proposed by Mr. W. H. Matthews and seconded by Mr. J. C. Bird that the Minutes of the last meeting held at Worksop on the 29th September, 1966, be accepted. This was carried.

Matters arising from the Minutes

Mr. J. Birks informed the meeting that under the Constitution and Rules of the Branch there was some confusion as to the payment of the five shillings subscription by members and proposed that item 4 should read: "The subscription of all branch members, other than local authority representatives not engaged in the administration of the Petroleum Acts, shall be five shillings on admission and thereafter on the lst January each year".

The proposal was seconded by Mr. J. A. F. Saville and carried.

Report of the Branch Representative

The Secretary, who attended the Annual General Meeting of the Association at Solihull on the I 8th April, 1967, in the capacity of temporary branch representative, then gave his report to members.

Election of Officers and Committee

The following Officers and Committee members were then elected:

Chairman

Vice-Chairman Mr. E. T. Crowe, Mansfield Mr. G. C. Cartwright, Nottingham

The business meeting was then concluded and members adjourned for lunch.

At the afternoon session, which was attended by Mr. L. A. Cave, Hon. Secretary of the Association, the Chairman introduced Mr. J. A. Sharp, A.l.E.E., Electrical Adviser to the Association, who gave a most informative talk on the electrical installations of petrol pumps associated with the Home Office Model Code of Principles of Construction and Licensing Conditions. Mr. Sharp said that there was an urgent need to amend the Model Code and the Home Office was at present engaged in doing this. He went on to describe suggested amendments. He referred to the technicalities of switches, fuses, wiring, etc. the possible new hazard areas on petrol station forecourts and the classification and design of electrical equipment used in these areas.

The Chairman opened the discussion by saying that he was surprised that it had been recommended that water mains should not be used as an earth. Mr. Sharp replied

74

that more and more plastic pipes were being used and consequently an efficient earth could no longer be guaranteed by using a water pipe as an earth. Mr. Matthews wondered about the procedure for requesting electrical certificates and what minimum qualifications might be required from the persons issuing such certificates. Mr. Sharp said that a certificate might be issued as a yes/no form by a member of the E.C.A. or the N.I.C. or an officer of the Electricity Board at intervals of three years. He said that the Association should recommend a suitable period and reminded members that Chesterfield was already successfully operating annual requests for electrical certificates.

Mr. Cartwright asked about the use of double-pole fusing switches and secondary electricity supplies. Mr. Sharp then gave an explanation of the dangers associated with double-pole fusing on high voltage circuits and the advantages of using circuit-breakers. He explained the grid-system and how electrical breakdowns were overcome. Further questions were asked on the electrical standards in this country and Mr. Sharp concluded that our standards were high and maintained by both welltrained officers of the Electricity Board and reputable private contractors.

Mr. Kerr then proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Sharp, saying that his talk had been very technical and informative and had kept all members extremely interested.

The meeting concluded and members had tea at the kind invitation of the Mayor and Derby Corporation. A vote of thanks was given by Mr. Saville for the facilities and hospitality members had received.

In Parliament

Secondhand Oil Heaters

Mrs. Joyce Butler asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if in view of the number of cases recently of fires a~d deaths caused by secondhand oil heaters, he will send a circular to local authorities drawing their attention again to their P?Wers to prosecute !hose who sell secondhand oil heaters m the course of busmess.

Miss Bacon: One effect of amending Regulations made last June is that the Oil Heaters Regulations, 1962, now apply to all oil heaters offered for sale, irrespective of their date of manufacture. Local authorities were informed at that time that this provision had been introduced to facilitate enforcement of the law, especially in the case of secondhand heaters. I do not think a reminder is needed at present.

Mrs. Butler: In view of the fact that the majority of accidents involving oil heaters appear to be cause~ by their lack of maintenance or improper use, such as usm~ them for cooking, there is value in drawing the att.ention. of local authorities to the kind of publicity campaign which the ~orough of Lambeth has introduced rec~ntly.

~ould the ng~t hon. Lady think again about sei:dmg. a circular to remmd local authorities of their powers m this respect ?

Miss Bacon: If necessary, we shall do so. How~ver, we have done this once and there has been a considerable amount. of publicity' through the Royal. Society f?r. the Prevention of Accidents the Fire Protect10n Assoc1at10n, the oil appliances man~facturers, local authorities and home safety committees. In a number of areas where there ~re large immigrant populations, advice has been issued m languages such as Urdu, Greek and Turkish, so that a great deal has been done and is being done.

Dangerous Chemicals (Transport)

Sir R. Russell asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposed to introduce safety regulations governing the transport by road of dangerous chemicals such as phosgene and chlorine gases and liquid oxygen.

Mr. Roy Jenkins: On the recommendations of the Standing Advisory Committee on Dangerous Substances, regulations have been prepared dealing with the conveyance by road of over 200 inflammable liquids, and I hope to make these soon. There is a wide range of substances to be considered, and the Committee has found it necessary to deal with them in an order of priority. The need for controls over the carriage by road of liquid and compressed gases will be considered, but I cannot yet say when regulations dealing with them may be made.

Petrol Pumps (Model Code)

Mr. Gresham Cooke asked the Secretary of State, if following the lead given by the Greater London Council, he has now authorised the use of the automatic latched petrol nozzle in the model code on Dangerous Substances; and whether he will also include the use of self-service petrol pumps.

Miss Bacon: Licensing authorities were informed on January 12th of an amendment to the existing model code providing for the use of this device at attended filling stations. The appropriate technical committee, on which the licensing authorities and the oil industry are represented, has not yet completed its study of the use of self-service pumps.

Mr. Gresham Cooke: As some local authorities seem reluctant to follow the lead given by the Greater London Council in authorising the use of the latched nozzle, would the right hon. Lady say whether the circular which went to all local authorities was couched in clear terms ?

Miss Bacon: As far as I am aware, that is so. However, if the hon. Gentleman has any evidence which suggests that the contrary might have been the case, I hope that he will let me have it.

75

Through the Pipeline

by OTTO

WHAT THE DEVIL !

In a crowded city one of the banes of a petroleum inspector's life is leakage of petrol and it is sad to relate that it is generally the comparatively small outflow from a hole in a pipeline rather than the larger leakage from a tank which causes the most trouble. In the words of the T.V. commercial ducts desire it, manholes manifest it and basements beg for it.

Experience has shown that the ducts which mostly desire it and the manholes which mainly manifest it are those owned by the G.P.O. It is pertinent to ask why this should be.

To attempt an answer one needs to look at the construction of the ducts through which the telephone and telegraph cables are threaded. The ducts comprise earthenware sections loosely fitted one to the other. From any given high point each length of duct is laid to fall to a sump in a manhole chamber. Water gathering in the sump is pumped out periodically.

The simplest way of describing the method of installaof the G.P.O. ducts and manholes is that they are laid like land drains. Is it therefore so surprising that they act like land drains in receiving sub-surface water and any contaminant such as petrol which may for the time being be in the ground ?

G.P.O. engineers are wont to become most irate when they find petrol in their manholes. But if, presumably for cheapness, they lay their ducts like land drains they must be prepared to accept minor inconvenience. After all he who sups with the devil needs to eat with a long spoon.

WHERE'S THE ATTRACTION?

If particles of paint are given a high electrical charge relative to earth, they will be attracted to earthed objects. This principle is used in electrostatic spraying. The article to be coated is earthed and the consequent attraction of paint to the article not only reduces overspray but aids wrap round to such an extent that more than one side may be coated at a time-a very useful achievement if one wants to paint both sides of a wire fence from one side only.

There are dangers, however, and the major one is of an incendive spark igniting an explosive concentration of paint vapour and air. Adequate ventilation should be provided to secure that an explosive concentration will not occur but this is not enough. Steps must also be taken to prevent incendive spark discharges.

The spout of the spray gun which is imparting the electrical charge to the issuing paint will have a high potential relative to earth. Thus a spark will occur whenever the spray gun spout is brought sufficiently close to an earthed object. Whether the spark is incendive or not will depend on the resistance of the circuit. In fact by the introduction of a limiting resistance or similar contrivance in the high voltage lead to the spray gun spout it is possible to ensure that the spark will never be incendive. In other words, it is possible to make the high voltage circuit intrinsically safe. Control circuits can also be similarly treated and the other electrical equipment associated with the electrostatic spray gun can either be housed in suitable flameproof or pressurised enclosures or otherwise be placed in "safe" locations.

Unfortunately there is another snag. Charged particles of paint may be deposited on unearthed objects or on objects which have had an insulating layer formed on them by previous spray deposits. These objects may acquire a high voltage as successive charged particles of paint impinge on them. When the voltage is high enough air insulation will break down and the consequent discharge to a nearby earthed object may result in the formation of an incendive spark.

The answer is to ensure that all objects, including the operator, are not only effectively earthed but are kept scrupulously clean.

This raises an interesting dilemma. Should the intrinsic safety of equipment be allowed to rest on an operational requirement? After all, operational requirements are the most difficult to enforce. Moreover, intrinsically safe equipment is certified for use in a Division 0 danger area and a Division 0 area is an area where an explosive concentration is always present, lacking only its incendive spark.

76

Have your copies of ''The Bulletin'' Bound

The prin.ters of the "The Bulletin" can offer this facility at advantageous rates:

Binding 6 copies 1965 and 1966, Full Rexine Cloth, Green or Maroon, lettered in gold on spine, sprinkled edges

22'-

(postage extra)

Send direct to: W. B. WALKER • FISH STREET • SHREWSBURY

Telephone: SHREWSBURY 2103

Telephone: EASt 0428

W. J. FINCH (Installations) Ltd.

Steaming out and de-gassing petrol tanks; issuing gas free certificates Complete petrol and fuel oil bulk storage tank installations Petrol and fuel oil tank cleaning service Pressure testing tanks and pipe work

369 Victoria Road, Birmingham 6

Walker, Printer, Shrewsbury